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Super Mario Spikers
Super Mario Spikers is a volleyball game released for the Nintendo Switch and Pharo developed by Crash Co. under the Petey's Playroom division of TimeStrike. The game was originally conceived by Next Level Games for the Wii in 2007 after the release of Mario Strikers Charged. However, as the game was seen as too violent compared to games like the Super Smash Bros. series, Nintendo turned it down. It was later picked up by Crash Co., and was then published under Darklight Studios. The game takes inspiration from the Mario Strikers series in that it is stylistically different from most Mario games, stepping away from the whimsical and cartoony aesthetics and putting a bigger focus on more intense, realistic themes. As in its original inception, Super Mario Spikers is a volleyball game with wrestling elements mixed in. Opening The game's opening starts with a volleyball flying through the air. Just as it's about to land, a Koopa Troopa dives in and bounces it back upward. After this, a Shy Guy bounces the ball again, and Mario, in his Spikers gear, jumps upward and spikes it into the opposing side. Luigi, the other team's captain, dives for cover just before the ball hits him, causing it knock a Goomba's helmet off and land on the ground, giving Mario's team the winning point. As Luigi gets up, Mario congratulates Luigi for his efforts, as both brothers look up to a large billboard detailing the Mushroom Kingdom's first ever Spikers tournament. The camera then zooms out, showing Wario and Waluigi, also in Spikers gear, spying on the brothers. The two then emerge from their hiding spot and confront Mario and Luigi, challenging them to a volleyball game alongside their teammates. Mario and Wario go against each other first, with the former being able to get points thanks to Wario's incompetent Pokey teammates. Waluigi and Luigi go against each other next, and Waluigi keeps serving the ball into the net, causing it to fall on his side and give Luigi a point. Angered that both lost, the two walk off. What then follows is a training montage of Wario and Waluigi training for the Spikers tournament, as a knockoff of Eye of the Tiger plays. Some scenes include Wario using a jump rope, Waluigi lifting weights and having them fall on himself, Wario running on a treadmill and losing balance, causing him to fly into the wall, and Waluigi rock climbing, though losing his grip and knocking several parts of his body against rocks as he falls to the ground. After this, the day of the Spikers tournament comes, and another montage plays of Wario and Waluigi gaining victories and going higher up on the tournament, defeating Donkey Kong, Yoshi, Professor E. Gadd, and Daisy. Then, a the match between Mario and Waluigi goes under way. Though Waluigi's team scores some points, Mario's team manages to pull ahead. In desperation, Waluigi tells his Hammer Bro. teammate to throw a hammer into the sky. This catches Wario's attention, who is watching the match from a distance. He then takes out a large Bob-omb and chucks it into the arena. Mario sees this and dives for cover, and the bomb hits a Moe-Eye, knocking it over. This bounces it into Waluigi's side of the court, who runs around in panic. A Krusha then grabs the bomb and throws it into the distance, just as it explodes. Just as Waluigi sighs in relief, a loud roar is heard. Bowser in the Koopa Clown Car then flies into the stadium, having a charcoal-black head thanks to the Bob-omb's explosion. Enraged, Bowser begins firing Bullet Bills at everyone in the stadium. As Waluigi dives for cover, he ends up getting hit by one, which carries him across the arena. The same Bullet Bill flies into Wario as well, sending both into the distance. Meanwhile, Mario's team begins knocking Bullet Bills back at Bowser's Koopa Clown Car, which shortens out and explodes, causing Bowser to plummet onto the ground. As this happens, the Bullet Bill that carried Wario and Waluigi falls into the stadium and explodes, flinging both of then on top of Bowser. Mario then faces the screen and chuckles to himself as the title screen appears. Gameplay As mentioned, Super Mario Spikers is based on volleyball, but the sport is much more physical. Two teams of six players - one captain and five teammates - face off against each other and must hit the ball into the opposition's side. Should the ball land on the team's side, the other will get a point. As such, the team must work together to both prevent the ball from landing on their side of the court as well as hit the ball on the opposing side. In order to win a match, one team must win two out of three sets, with 15 points allowing the team to win the set. Should both teams have 14 points, it is a deuce, and the next team to score two points in a row wins the set. Of the eight members of the team, two are assigned as defensive players while two are assigned as offensive players, and the remaining two, which includes the captain, can alternate between the two as they please. Defensive players stay on their team's side, saving the ball from landing passing the ball, eventually knocking it to the opposing team's side. Each time the ball is passed, it will become brighter, much like the ball in Mario Strikers Charged, with a brighter ball meaning a harder attack. Meanwhile, offensive players are on the opposing side, and can attack members of the other team to help their team score a point. Wrestling tactics can be utilized, leaving them unavailable to help for a short time. Defensive and offensive players are locked on their respective sides of the court, and only those who can alternate between the two can pass from one side to the other. Captains are also able to perform Super Spikes when the Super Meter is charged, which can be done by either passing the ball or attacking opposing teammates. These can only be performed if the captain is about to spike the ball onto the opposing side, and it acts similarly to the Mega Strike in Mario Strikers Charged; the captain jumps into the air with the ball and spikes it, while turning into a more advanced form. Sidekicks have similar abilities called Skill Spikes, though these are less effective than Super Spikes. Characters Captains Sidekicks